Matilda Browne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Matilta Browne
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Matilda Browne 1894 age 25
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| Born | May 8, 1869 |
| Died | November 3, 1947 (aged 78) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | Impressionism |
| Spouse(s) | Frederick Van Wyck |
| Awards | Dodge Prize 1889 |
Matilda Browne (May 8, 1869 – November 3, 1947) was an American artist. She was known for her beautiful flower paintings and her scenes of farms and cattle. Matilda was born in Newark, New Jersey. She was a very talented child and started her art training early. Her neighbor, the famous artist Thomas Moran, helped her begin her journey.
Matilda Browne worked in Greenwich, Connecticut, New York City, and Old Lyme, Connecticut. She was part of an art group in Old Lyme, which was centered at the Florence Griswold home. She was the only woman in the Old Lyme Colony whose paintings were taken seriously by the male artists. She was seen as a very important member of the group.
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Early Life and Art Training
When Matilda was a child in Newark, New Jersey, she lived next door to the artist Thomas Moran. Moran was famous for his large paintings of places like Yellowstone National Park. He let 9-year-old Matilda watch him paint in his studio. Soon, he invited her to try painting with brushes and canvas herself.
It was clear she had a natural talent for art. Moran encouraged her to take more art lessons. By the time she was 12, one of her flower paintings was shown in an exhibition. This was at the National Academy of Design in New York.
Studying Animal Painting
Matilda soon became very interested in painting farm animals. In 1889, she traveled to Europe with her mother. There, she studied with artists who specialized in animal paintings in France and the Netherlands.
Browne learned from many skilled teachers. These included Julien Dupré in Barbizon, France, and Henry Bisbing in the Netherlands.
Becoming a Professional Artist
After returning from Europe in the early 1890s, Matilda Browne went back to New York. She started showing her art in the city. She especially loved painting animals, so she studied with Carleton Wiggins. He was a well-known painter of landscapes and cattle.
Matilda Browne showed her work at the Palace of Fine Arts. This was during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.
She worked in Greenwich, Connecticut, and in Cos Cob, Connecticut, in the late 1890s. She continued to work there on and off throughout her career. She also worked in Old Lyme, Connecticut from 1905 to 1906, and then again from 1911 to 1924.
Carleton Wiggins might have introduced her to the Florence Griswold boardinghouse in Old Lyme. Later, Browne rented a house on Lyme Street. This house is believed to be in the background of her painting In the Garden (1915).
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Peonies, 1907
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In the Garden, 1915
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Young girl in pink party gown, n.d.
Life at the Old Lyme Art Colony
In 1905, when Matilda first visited Old Lyme, she was 36 years old. She had already won several awards and was well-known as an artist. The other artists at the Griswold boardinghouse asked Matilda Browne to paint on a door. She painted two panels on the door leading to Miss Florence’s bedroom. These panels showed calves grazing under a tree.
She was also the only woman included in The Fox Chase mural. This mural was about the art colony and was painted by Henry Rankin Poore over the dining room fireplace. These were special honors because the male artists in the colony often did not take female artists seriously.
Later Life and Legacy
In 1918, Matilda Browne married Frederick Van Wyck. She was his second wife. They lived in his home in Manhattan, New York. In 1932, her drawings were published in her husband’s book, Recollections of an Old New Yorker.
After Frederick Van Wyck passed away on February 16, 1936, Matilda Browne moved back to Greenwich. Matilda Browne died in Greenwich, Connecticut on November 3, 1947. She was 78 years old.
Awards and Recognition
Matilda Browne received several awards for her artwork:
- Dodge Prize (National Academy of Design, 1889)
- Third Hallgarten Prize (National Academy of Design, 1901)
- Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts Award (1918, 1919)
- Greenwich Art Association (prize, 1929)
See also
In Spanish: Matilda Browne para niños
